


The Doctor and the Lawyer

by Marns



Category: Law & Order: SVU
Genre: F/M, Romance, Sex
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-31
Updated: 2020-08-03
Packaged: 2020-10-03 21:01:31
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 8,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20459402
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Marns/pseuds/Marns
Summary: You were hand picked to fix the reputational damage suffered by the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office of Manhattan, courtesy of Dr Carl Rudnick.You were not the candidate ADA Rafael Barba had expected.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Timelines of the episodes/characters referenced are not always sequential to the show itself.

You were posted overseas for a period of twelve months (with possibility of extension… if required) to the Office of Chief Medical Examiner - Manhattan. You were posted there to fix the absolute dumpster-fire of a mess left following the arrest and subsequent prosecution of M.E Dr. Carl Rudnick. The role was specially established for damage control, and you were specifically headhunted for the role as you were a high-performing, highly commended M.E in the federal policing agency of your home country. You were the keynote speaker at a number of conferences in the U.S.A and impressively related to DNA analysis and rape kit reform, in fact you head up a five year project which enabled rape kit reform in your home country. This was internationally recognised as an incredible success, all before your thirty-third birthday.

You were hand picked to audit current processes, while championing the rape-kit reform agenda. The offer to relocate was a little too good to refuse, you currently had no ties at home and the opportunity to work with Manhattan’s Special Victims Unit certainly appealed to you. You had already formed a good rapport with Lieutenant Olivia Benson and Chief Dodds at a previous conference, you appreciated Olivia’s approachability and were impressed with her professionalism and wealth of experience. With your posting overseas, there was also an unwritten agreement that when their caseload was high or there was an urgency for lab results, you would prioritise their cases under your own judgement. 

The feeling was mutual for Chief Dodds and Lieutenant Benson, they breathed a collective sigh of relief following the announcement of your appointment, the damage done to the reputation to the M.E office and the department was taking the right steps toward repair. Chief Dodds, as an act of wanting to retain the good relationship, brought you to SVU himself to meet the squad in person before turning your mind to the giant work-load ahead of you. You were fond of this approach and would much rather work with your colleagues face to face than via email or phone, you accepted the invitation to visit the squad room immediately.

Unsurprisingly, you were received warmly by the squad. They had heard someone was coming to introduce themselves in person, and there was obvious appreciation that they were able to put a face to the name before you commenced. Before you arrived Olivia reiterated that you were renowned as friendly, professional and capable. You greeted the detectives warmly and thanked them for taking the time out of their busy day to meet you. Fin quickly asked if you had met Melinda Warner, who had worked in the Medical Examiners office for many years and you had. Frankly, Melinda was over the moon you were here, better you than her taking on the workload ahead. Likewise, you were over the moon that you had a capable, experienced M.E as your right hand and advocate, totally willing to assist. Knowing that the two of you liked each other was further evidence to Fin that your appointment was the right choice.

You met detective Rollins, on hearing your accent she wanted to hear about where your were from and a brief work history. You immediately felt a connection to her, you were both of similar age and worked in male-dominated jobs. If the opportunity were to arise, you could see yourself having after-work drinks with a person like Rollins. 

You then quickly found yourself in deep discussion with an approachable, tall, lanky Detective named Dominic “Sonny” Carisi about your mothers, yours of whom also happened to be of Italian descent, specifically about the onus put on women in the family. “My mother and Nonna are wonderful women, they just don’t understand how I can’t work 90 hours a week and make time to be married with 25 kids”. The detective threw his head back in laughter - although male, he witnessed the same expectations with the women in his family. Your next sentence was interrupted by an older man, around your height, striding through your conversation with the detective toward Benson’s office. The nameless man wore an impeccable suit and walked with purpose, he made zero acknowledgement of you our the tall detective next to you. By just looking at him it was obvious to you he wasn’t a cop, however he clearly knew his way around the precinct. You internally hoped this wasn’t a person you would have to work with in the near or distant future...

“Hey Barba.” Carisi quipped nonchalantly as the man continued into Bensons office, making no effort to respond. “That’s Barba” the detective quipped as we turned back to you. “Have you met him yet? He’s the A.D.A. he’s always like that”. Carisi must have gauged your reaction of finding him a little rude. 

You internal groan at Carisi’s news was interrupted by Chief Dodds interjecting himself into your and Carisi’s conversation “Y/N, come in and meet Rafael Barba, it’s likely you’ll be working with him on a number of cases. He’s also the guy who put away your predecessor” Dodds smiled at through his last sentence as we walked towards you, gesturing for you to follow him to Benson’s office. 

Barba had since greeted his friend and leant against the side wall. “So, I see the squad pitched in to get Carisi a distraction” Barba quipped, chuckling at his own cheap shot at the detective. Olivia stood up from her desk and peered through the door, confused as to what prompted Barba’s comment. A wave of realisation washed over her face as she saw you and Carisi in conversation in the pen. All Barba had seen as he walked in was Carisi talking to a younger, well dressed, attractive woman who was laughing at whatever comment he’d just made. It took him more energy than he thought to stop him from rolling his eyes at the display.

“That’s Doctor Y/N Raffa, the M.E. flown here to fix the mess our office is in, remember?” She stated matter of factly.

Barba utterly failed to hide the surprise that washed over his face, he turned his attention back through the window of Olivia’s office toward you. When he heard someone was picked especially for the role, and that they were an internationally acclaimed expert, he was thinking ‘another Carl Rudnick’. In fact everyone had thought this at first - everyone imagined some crotchety old man or woman who never left their office and spoke entirely in M.E. Jargon would be the obvious replacement. That wasn’t you though. You were approachable, personable, easy to converse with, nice to look at… and young compared to most colleagues. Barba watched as Dodds motioned for you to follow him into Benson’s office, instinctively taking a step toward the back of Olivia’s office to make room for the two as they entered.

“Okay, last stop then I think you’ve met everyone” Captain Dodds murmured as he led you into the small office. He turned his attention to Barba before making the introduction. “This is Y/N, who we are lucky enough to have for twelve months, she has kindly agreed to prioritise SVU cases if we request so. Don’t take advantage”. He looked between Benson and Barba to reiterate the sentence was for both of them, before promptly leaving. Olivia assumed Dodds left her to finish introducing the ADA to you. Barba nodded in acknowledgement in your direction before turning back to Olivia. Olivia continued the introduction, her eyes trailing from Barba to you, “Barba has been working closely with us the past few years, you may see him from time to time in the morgue, and we may need your expertise on the stand”.

“Assuming you’ve graduated.'' Barba quipped just loud enough for you to hear. It immediately hit a nerve, you’ve dealt with discrimination being a young woman in the medical field, and you weren’t going to let it continue here.

You let out a soft but sarcastic laugh before turning your whole self to address him “No, I just batted my eyelashes at the Dean and he just handed me a degree. No. effort. required”. You spoke calmly, Barba raised an eyebrow in shock, although his remark was derogatory, he certainly wasn’t expecting to be called out on it.

“They gave me a PhD too…” you continued “and then they let me graduate Medicine, want to know what I had to do to get that?” you spoke pointedly. Barba got the point immediately, he crossed a line, you made your point, and he didn’t dare open his mouth. You waited for a brief second before you turned your attention back to Olivia, smiling warmly before speaking “It’s really nice seeing you again and meeting the squad Lieutenant Benson, my first day in the Office is Tuesday, I’ll touch base with my contact details and general schedule”. Olivia returned your smile and thanked you for coming, standing to show you out and shut her office door. She immediately turned to Barba, who had since taken residence on the couch.

“Seriously Raffa?” calling his behaviour out further. Barba rolled his eyes ever so slightly and shrugged as he answered, “I wasn’t trying to offend”.

“Oh really? Because I’m pretty sure you failed”. Olivia turned to her desk and picked up a file, starting her sentence before turning back to face the prosecutor, “As Dodd’s said, there is an agreement that Dr. Y/N will prioritise evidence reviews or urgent laboratory requests, within her capacity” Olivia pressed the file towards Barba, who did not reach out to take it, instead slumping further into her office couch.

“These are Rudnick’s cases where he ruled the victim to be a Jane Doe, I need them reviewed as soon as possible, because as we already know it wasn’t always the case. You’re going to drop these off on Tuesday and make amends.” She moved forward to drop the pile directly next to Barba’s thigh. He knew that this was a demand from the Lieutenant, not a question or a favour. He knew Olivia Benson was not his boss and had no right ordering him around, but he also knew she had a point. SVU and the D.A’s office had to work closely with the M.E’s office over the coming months, he had some damage control to do - and quickly.

Barba wordlessly conceited defeat and stood, file in hand - and exited the Lieutenant’s office toward the elevators.

……….

The following Tuesday - Rafael Barba stood outside the stairs of the Office of the Chief Examiner, stared at the sign on the wall, looked down at the file in his hands and audibly groaned at the thought of having to ‘play nice’ with the M.E inside. He mentally questioned how he once again allowed Olivia to talk him into something he reasonably could have rejected. Barba sighed deeply as he walked up the few stairs to the front doors, walking inside and apprehensively pressing the elevator button to his left. 

He stepped into the empty elevator and made his way to the floor of your office. He realised the last time he pressed that button was when he was meeting with Dr. Carl Rudnick. This office had since been tainted with his horrific crimes. He mentally reminded himself that although this took place the building was still full of competent and capable scientists, doctors and academics. 

He stepped out on the third floor and immediately spotted you behind a glass office door toward the back of the floor. He hesitated briefly before walking toward you, he rolled his eyes a hint when he noticed you had one of those new age sit-stand desks and multiple large computer screens which currently had your attention. You were deep in concentration, squinting hard toward one of the screens before his soft knock startled you slightly. You turned to face the man - taking a brief moment to place where you had seen him before. Barba could tell the split second you placed him and further yet, how your first encounter had ended. You crossed your arms and leaned against your desk casually, slight side smile gracing your features before you spoke.

“A.D.A Barba, I didn’t know you were stopping by. Are you here to see me or…?” you stopped, looking down at the file in his hands to prompt a response. 

Barba cleared his throat quickly before responding “This file has been deemed an urgent request by Manhattan S.V.U”. You reached out slowly and took the file from his hands, affording zero energy toward it before placing it on top of your keyboard. You turned back to the counsellor to quiz him. “Is it common practice here for an A.D.A to hand deliver urgent files to the M.E’s office?” You already knew the answer to the question, and furthermore, why he was here in the first place. You secretly relished that he must be squirming under his perfectly tailored suit right at that moment.

“Actually no, don’t get used to it”. Barba responded, you laughed lightly and how tightly wound this guy was, you bordered on sympathetic as he continued to look more uncomfortable by the second. “So, you’ve been sent here to do some damage control following our discussion the other day? Hoping that by doing so, I’ll actually process your ‘urgent’ cases urgently?” A wave of annoyance washed over Barba’s face at your direct question but you didn’t give him time to rebut, you picked up your coat and locked your computer before ushering him to follow you.

“Come on, this way.” you motioned toward the elevator and strode past him, putting on the thin coat and adjusting your long high ponytail.

Barba was blatantly confused, “Where are we going?” he asked, following you hesitantly, not keeping up with you your quick stride at first. You were quick to respond, “It’s six forty-five and I haven’t eaten since breakfast counsellor, if you want to establish and maintain essential stakeholder relationships, you’re showing me where I can get a decent feed around here - I’m starving”. Barba wasn’t sure how to respond, it certainly wasn’t the response to the request to urgently review a file that he was expecting. Furthermore, he was flabbergasted that you assumed he’d drop any form of work or evening plans to eat with you. You noticed his silence and shrugged your shoulders at him expectedly, walking into the elevator and holding the door “You’ve gotta eat, don’t you?” Barba found himself unable to find an argument against the invitation, he wordlessly entered in after you and wracked his brain for the closest bar with a decent menu and a decent scotch. 

Now, Barba would never admit this to anyone, but within 15 minutes of sitting at a bar with you and ordering your food and drinks, he had done a complete one-eighty of his opinion of you. It was obvious from your wrap sheet that were incredibly intelligent, and it was obvious looking at you that you were attractive and confident. What he was really drawn to was you were not in the least bit pretentious, you were open with your story, your opinions and you were easy to converse with. Having dinner with him was evidence that you didn’t hold a grudge, and the way you devoured your meal like you hadn’t eaten in a week was a flare of un-refinement Barba found comical, yet was drawn to. You were you - and you made zero apologies for it, and these were the type of people Barba worked with best. He understood completely why you were headhunted for the role and why you are held in such high regard by the people at the top. 

Before you both knew it, it was nearing 10.00pm. You mutually agreed it was time to call it a night and despite your objection Barba paid the bill, only on agreement that you insist on paying for your next meal together. You said your goodbyes outside the bar and head in different directions towards your homes. 

Barba decided he’d walk home that night, and he thought about you the entire way.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You were hand picked to fix the reputational damage suffered by the Chief Medical Examiner’s Office of Manhattan, courtesy of Dr Carl Rudnick.
> 
> You were not the candidate ADA Rafael Barba had expected.

Your first week at the office was hectic, gaining access to systems, learning the intricacies of how they worked - on top of this you acted on the request to urgently review 17 cases ruled a ‘Jane Doe’ by Dr Rudnick. You were three cases deep when you found your first discrepancy, news which SVU was not going to like hearing. You had Dr. Warner run an assurance check on your review and she came to the same conclusion, the next step was to break the bad news to the people upstairs. 

Benson and the squad were run off their feet themselves, Olivia was reviewing evidence with Barba when she answered your call. She motioned with her hands for Barba to stop talking, but not to leave just yet.

“Benson?... Hi Dr. Y/N.” she was silent as you broke the news on the other end that there was both a DNA and fingerprint match against a Jane Doe case and that you had completed the preliminary report. Her eyes flicked up to Barba, whose attention was immediately drawn to the phone conversation.

“Okay… yes send it through, I’ll see you soon.” Olivia placed the phone back on the receiver and let out a long breath before breaking the news to her friend and colleague. “We have another Jane Doe... who wasn’t actually a Jane Doe. Y/N is coming down to the precinct now to walk through the review, you should stay for this.” 

Barba nodded his head in agreement, then a pang of dread rose in his stomach. The two of you hadn’t spoken since your outing a few nights ago, and you hadn’t discussed how your professional relationship was going to proceed. Barba kept his cards close to his chest, the last thing he would want the squad to know is the two of you had dinner and drinks late into the night.

Benson ushered Barba to follow her into the bullpen so she could break the news to the rest of the squad, all of whom happened to be at their desks at the time. Olivia waited until Amanda finished a phone call before addressing them.

“Dr. Y/N is on the way to the squad room to escalate a review of one of Rudnick’s ‘Jane Doe’ cases. There has been a DNA and fingerprint hit on a working girl, I want these cases prioritised as they come in.” You turned the corner into the squad room as Olivia finished her sentence, smiling warmly to the room despite the bad news you were about to deliver. 

Barba clenched his jaw as you made your way towards the group, you made eye contact with him and nodded slightly in his direction as your greeting, walking straight past him to take a seat towards the projector to load your report. Barba was immediately relieved by your professionalism. 

He watched Carisi bound over like a three-month-old puppy to offer assistance in loading your report from a USB to the projector, his willingness to help you almost annoyed him. ‘Settle down, cowboy’ he thought to himself - resisting the urge to roll his eyes. 

You spent the following 25 minutes presenting your findings to Barba and the squad, voicing your concern that Rudnick’s reports were, for the most part, spot on. This report on the other hand was evidence that Rudnick’s Doe ruling was on purpose, prompting Benson to do a full background on the name and identification on file. Unsurprisingly, it happened to be another alias of Rudnick’s, in what capacity this alias was used, the squad was not yet sure.

“Fantastic work Y/N, please let us know if anything seems off with the remaining case files.” Benson knew your time was precious, providing you the excuse to leave and get back to your office. You handed Benson a hard copy of your findings and headed towards the door, turning briefly to Barba to address him.

“I’ve had a copy of the review sent to your office also, let me know if you have any questions.” You smiled at the room in a silent farewell and proceeded to leave the building. You heard quick footsteps approaching and soon there was a presence beside you, you turned your head to see Barba walking with you toward the exit.

“I’ll walk you out” Barba spoke as he pressed the button for the ground floor in the elevator. Soon the doors closed and the two of you were alone. 

You felt a happiness in the pit of your stomach to be alone with him again, you’d found yourself wondering when your paths would cross again and in what capacity. You wondered if he had thought about you at all. Your thoughts were interrupted by the sound of his voice.

“Thank you for reviewing the cases so quickly…” his sentence sounded unfinished, you assumed it was because he didn’t know what to say next. You thought it was cute that a man so good with his words suddenly couldn’t find the right ones to say. If you wanted to see this man outside of a work setting, you would need to do the leg work. 

“Happy to help” you smiled and turned your head slightly towards the ADA. A few seconds passed until you realised the older man was waiting for you to continue, which you were happy to do.

“I’m starving. Can you recommend a decent sports bar around here? I need loaded fries and wings as soon as possible.” The question was happily received by the man standing next to you. Barba was hoping the opportunity to go out with you again would come about eventually. He didn’t turn his head, but you saw the small smile grace his lips as he thought carefully of his response.

“Actually, I can recommend a great one.” 

You waited for him to continue but he didn’t go any further. You actually liked that he was making you work for it. In response you reached for your wallet and pulled out your business card, you held it out toward him between two fingers and waited for him to take the card in his own two fingers before you spoke again.

“Well, I’d really appreciate it if you would message me the name of the place.”

The elevator doors opened and you strode out back towards your office, glancing over your shoulder before finishing the continuing sentence. 

“Feel welcome to join me too, Counselor.” The ADA remained still and smiled, your card still between his fingers. 

Barba did send you a recommendation later that day, and he did end up joining you for dinner that night. This is how things continued for the two of you for the following month. Once or twice a week you would message each other for no reason other than to share a meal together and get to know each other better. You called these meals a ‘working lunch’ or ‘working dinner’ to give the onus to each other that your dinner and lunch dates were purely professional. Neither of you spoke about the obvious sexual tension between you, which was becoming increasingly difficult to ignore. 

You had learned a lot about each other over these weeks. You discovered you were both put through school on scholarship and went on to major at a top college - you asked Barba pointedly if he was married, and you’ll admit that you were thrilled to hear he was in fact single. He never reciprocated the question but he assumed that if you were married or had a partner or kids he would have heard about it by now.

What excited Barba most about your friendship, is that no one else knew about it. When you were in the same room together at the precinct, M.E’s office or his office, no one would pick that the two of you enjoyed each other's company outside of work. The only person to make a comment to Barbs about you was Olivia, who noticed Barba’s blunder when you first met had obviously been rectified, but she otherwise was none the wiser. 

Barba was completely in control of his attraction to you, he thought. He was right, until you were called as an expert witness in another anti-vaccination case. Barba had learned your PhD aligned with his needs as an expert witness, and that you had published a number of papers in epidemiological studies related to vaccinations in developing countries. You were exactly who he needed and came with an internationally positive reputation. The one thing that worried him was that attorney John Buchanan was the defense lawyer for this particular case. Barba knew you’d testified as an expert witness before, but to what extent he wasn’t sure.

You happily accepted the invitation to provide expert testimony for the prosecution, you had done so for similar cases back home. You also accepted the invitation to go through questions with the ADA the day before the trial, noting the warnings he gave you about Buchanan.

“It’s all good Counselor, this isn’t my first rodeo” you reassured both him and yourself. 

Early on that day in court you were called, and you learned quickly not to underestimate Rafael Barba’s advice, you should have heeded his warning about John Buchanan a little more seriously. This guy was assertive, aggressive, brutal really. He questioned in detail your credentials, work experience and scientific publications. He interrupted your sentences and hinted you received your promotion based on your looks and unfounded affiliations with big pharma. He even had the hide to have a dig at your age and accent and whether it was appropriate for you to be called as an expert witness in the first place.

You were a pro though, you didn’t flinch at his poorly founded defense and you answered every accusation with a logical response. The ‘gotcha’ moment Buchanan so desperately needed during his cross did not eventuate. Barba and Benson were completely impressed with the way you conducted yourself on the stand.

When Buchanan finished, it was Barba’s turn to redirect. He stood and walked toward the stand, oozing confidence, his eyes telling you he had this in the bag. He spoke slow enough to enunciate every word like it was integral to the case.

“Dr. Y/N. Please state once again to the court your expertise and credentials.” he asked coolly. His confidence made you feel at ease and you answered confidently. You repeated your impressive work history, degrees, Masters and PhD. Barba turned to the jury as you answered and merely shrugged at Buchanan’s assertion that you weren’t capable of providing an expert testimony.

“Well. Obviously no further information required, thank you again for your time today Doctor Y/N.” Barba interjected. He went on to quash Buchanan’s spiel about your work history by reiterating your experience and expertise, despite your age. You watched him command the courtroom like it was a piece of cake - and the jury were completely on board. 

You thought the way Rafael Barba conducted himself that day in court was sexy as hell.

You returned to the courthouse when you heard the jury were back wanting to be there in person when the verdict was read - the plaintiff was found guilty of all charges, and the resounding cheer of the courtroom and flash of cameras filled the room with energy and noise. It was nothing like the morgue and you loved every second of it.

Rollins and Carisi saw you in the main hall of the courthouse and approached to commend you on your efforts on the stand. They reiterated that after you completely dominated Buchanan, you smiled and gracefully accepted the compliments from your colleagues, turning and scanning the rest of the busy room until they fell on the face of the real hero of the courtroom - Rafael Barba.

Your eyes met from across the room and they locked, there was a different energy now - an electricity between the two of you. It could have been Barba’s high of having a win, or the courtroom experience between the two of you could have resulted in the same, primal attraction Barba felt towards you as you did toward him. He averted his eyes to the few people conversing with him, you watched as he obviously excused himself from the conversation and you couldn't help but smile as he walked towards you, locking eyes again.

The confidence in his stride made you practically weak at the knees, the courthouse was his world which you’d now seen first hand, and in which you were the guest on this day. You felt a familiar feeling of lust in the pit of your stomach as he got close enough for you to smell his cologne. He interjected himself into the sentence Carisi was speaking, moving his eyes from yours to the two detectives next to you before speaking.

“Detectives.” He nodded his greeting before diverting his entire attention to you.

“Apologies to interrupt, can we debrief quickly before it becomes an absolute media hell-storm outside?” You weren’t sure if that was actually the case or if he was fishing for an excuse to speak with you alone, but took the bait either way and nodded in response.

You waved a quick goodbye to the detectives and followed him toward a staircase leading to the back entrance to the courthouse - Barba used this as an exit for witnesses and himself for cases which were especially contentious or received a high volume of media coverage. 

You both entered the stairwell and stopped at the landing of the stairs. You looked at each other for what felt like minutes, both finally chuckling at the awkward silence, the laughter confirming you were on the same page. 

“Thank you for your help today, you did very well, you’ve clearly done this before.” Barba stated, his side smirk which drove you wild was threatening to grace his lips. You looked to the ground and thought about your wording carefully before you spoke.

“My pleasure Counselor, you really commanded that courtroom today…” you paused and moved your eyes from the ground up towards his, capturing his green eyes with your own before continuing.

“I thought it was pretty sexy, actually.”

You swear you heard the air leave Barba’s lungs. Until now your flirting had been mostly nuanced, and for the first time you made your attraction to him a real - tangible thing. 

Barba hid his reaction as best he could, recovering with a quick cough while straightening himself. He actually liked how forward you were, but he trod carefully around the situation.

“Well considering the magnitude of the win today and your contribution, perhaps I can take you out to dinner as a celebration and thank you?” he watched your expression carefully as he asked the question. Relieved that his offer was received with a smile and nod.

“So we’re officially moving from working dinners, to a date?” You asked the question to bring the underlying issue to light. An A.D.A and Medical Examiner dating had implications for dire conflicts of interest if SVU or your bosses found out. 

Barba considered your question carefully, understanding there was an elephant in the room which needed to be addressed. 

“If we were to go on a date Doctor, it would need to be discrete.”

You couldn’t help but smile wider at the lawyer, noting his confidence was starting to waver in the way he fidgeted with his tie then the band of his watch as he spoke. The writing was on the wall however, he wanted to take you out, and you wanted to go out with him.

“Secret is safe with me, Rafael” you countered, knowing full well this was the first time you addressed him by his first name. You knew he noticed this too.

“Saturday night?” he asked as casually as possible.

You didn’t want to wait four days to see him again “I’m free tonight actually? If I leave now and wrap up at the office I can do a later sitting.”

Barba smiled at your confidence, if there happened to be anything in the calendar, it was getting bumped. “I can do that, 8pm?”

“Can’t wait. Message me where.” You answered, walking past him to exit through the fire door Barba had led you to, leaving him alone to think of where on earth he was going to take you.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sex starts in this chapter

It was the first dinner the two of you were going to have together which wasn’t on a whim. You both wouldn’t dream to call the obvious date a date. Your focus shifted to the fact you both had the chance to pick an outfit rather than trudge out in whatever you had worn to work that day - and you were taking full advantage of this luxury. 

As soon as Barba laid eyes on you, you knew your effort was worth it. Over the previous months you’d learned to read the nuances of his personality. You recognised when he was happy talking about something and when you were pressing too much. You were learning over time that those he felt comfortable to verbally challenge were among those he most respected, yourself included. Right in that moment, you were certain he liked what he saw. 

And you liked what you saw. The first time out of a suit, although still in a dress shirt, blazer, and jeans. It’s exactly what you expected Barba to wear when he wasn’t at work. What interested you most, is what was underneath the perfectly pressed layers of clothes, and how long it was going to take before you finally got to see it. 

As always, your dinner was relaxed, the conversation flowed as easily as your drinks. It felt like minutes had passed before Barba waved for the bill. 

You threw a half-assed annoyed look toward your dinner partner. “You know, if you keep refusing to let me pay or contribute, I’ll start to think you’re anti-feminist”. You concluded your sentence with a smile, reaching for your glass and finishing the little wine left in it. 

You received was a slight smirk as Barba concentrated on singing and leaving a tip.

“I enjoy buying you dinner” he responded matter-of-factly. He stood and put on his blazer, finally making eye contact with you and smiling.

“At least let me take you out for a night cap”. You reasoned, hoping he’d accept the invitation. 

He chuckled lightly and his eyes met yours. Silently praising the fact you weren’t making him work for an opportunity to spend more of his evening with you. “Sounds like a fair compromise. Where to?”

“My place?” It wasn’t really a question. But you maintained eye contact to gauge his reaction. You were officially crossing the work and personal life barrier with him now. Although you were confident this is what he wanted, there was still a wavering doubt that he was as keen as you were.

He nodded slowly at your suggestion and looked to the ground briefly, pondering the best way to answer your question. Knowing whatever the answer was would determine how the remainder of your evening would pan out.

“You have scotch?” he asked as his gaze met yours again.

You nodded

“Wine?”

You nodded again.

“Are we going to walk, or get a cab?”

You couldn't help but smile at his response. You only lived a 10-minute walk away, so you wordlessly grabbed his hand and gently led the way to your apartment.

A short time later you were at the door of your building, Barba glanced up approvingly at the block as you retrieved your key and swiped a pass to unlock the front door.

“I’m on the top floor”. You answered the question you assumed he was asking himself, leading him to the lift and pressing the up button. “Pretty great view”.

Barba nodded and stepped in behind you. You sensed he was getting increasingly nervous, and he was. Barba hadn’t gone home with a woman for the better part of two years. Although he came prepared, he secretly hoped he could down another scotch to ease his nerves.

He wordlessly followed you to your front door, following you into your apartment as confidently as possible. He looked around and noted the size of it, his eyes widening slightly as they fell on the light filled skyline from your kitchen window.

“Make yourself at home”. You quipped as you removed your heels, Barba followed suit and removed his shoes and placed them by the door. You made your way to the drink stand, holding up one of the two bottles of scotch you kept on hand for visitors. He nodded in approval toward the one in your left hand and you busied yourself pouring him a glass while he continued to move around your living space.

“This apartment is amazing”. He spoke for the first time since entering your building, nodding a thank you as you handed him his glass, a wine of your own in hand. 

“Perks of being a government employee on loan to the USA, they own about a third of this building I think”. You softly clinked his glass and sipped your wine. 

You could feel the tension building between the two of you, his lack of advancement signalling you were going to have to make the first move. Not that this bothered you.

“Come look at this”. You motioned him to follow you and you moved toward the window in your living space, pulling across the blinds to reveal a beautiful view of the city.

“Wow, I see what you mean about the view” Barba mused, glancing at you briefly before turning his attention to the city lights.

“Sometimes I just stand here and stare after a big day” you mused nonchalantly, moving even closer toward the man you’d be aching to finally get into your home. You moved to stand next to him and you felt him shift slightly in your presence. The sexual tension thick in the air.  
You turned and looked at him, placing your drink on the window sill as a silent invitation to do the same. Barba followed suit and stepped toward you, bringing his hands to your waist as you lifted yours to rest on his shoulders. . 

He leaned in and kissed you softly, waiting for you to return the kiss before pressing you back into the wall behind you. You opened your mouth to him and he immediately deepened the kiss, moving his hands to your lower back and pressing himself into you. The weight of his body on yours caused you to moan softly into his mouth. 

You wanted more of him, you used your hands to move his own from you so you could push the blazer off his shoulders. Never breaking the kiss, he wriggled the sleeves off his arms, immediately moving his hands back to you, hungrily grabbing your ass through your dress.

You gasped in delight at the feeling of his hands on you, silently grateful he was starting to take lead. You moved your mouth off his and moved your chin upwards to expose your neck. He readily accepted your silent invitation and moved his mouth to the exposed skin, alternating between kissing and lightly sucking on your pulse point.

Your breath quickened as you ground your hips slowly against him, causing him to moan lowly, which made you smile. He pulled his mouth away from your neck and moved a hand to your hair to pull you in for another, deeper kiss. 

His other hand trailed down your front, over your clothed chest to the hem of your dress, he hummed lowly, continuing to kiss you as his hand travelled up your dress, moving the fabric upwards as his fingers felt your thigh. 

You pulled away from his lips as his fingers found the lace of your underwear, moving to breathe hotly in his ear.

“I want to take you to bed Barba.” his response was instantaneous, he ground into you so you could feel the hardness in his jeans.

You both moved from the wall and you practically dragged him to your bedroom, you stopped at the edge of your bed and moved your hair to the side as an invitation to unzip your dress. He willingly obliged, pressing soft kisses against the back of your neck and shoulders as your skin became exposed. 

You turned and allowed the dress to drop softly to the floor below you, unveiling your favorite bra and panties set to the man in front of you. Barba failed to stifle his approval as he moaned low, stepping forward to slowly push you onto the mattress.

Whatever nerves or apprehension from earlier had seemed to disappear as he confidently crawled on the bed, following you as you scooted your way up the mattress to your pillows. He captured your lips in a deep kiss, you immediately opened your mouth to him and hummed in pleasure as his tongue explored your own.

He sucked on your lower lip before his mouth moved down to your chest. You pushed yourself upward briefly to unclasp your bra, moving back down as Barba peeled the garment from you. His eyes moved immediately to the skin he’d exposed, shortly followed by his hands which cupped your soft breasts perfectly. 

You pressed your head further into your soft pillows as you enjoyed the feel of his hands and lips on you.

“Fuck you’re beautiful” he spoke against your skin, moving further down to your lower belly, his hands followed soon after and his fingers hooked into the sides of your panties. You shifted your hips upwards as a silent consent for him to keep going. He slid the fabric down your legs slowly.

You realised that aside from his blazer and shoes, the man before you was still fully dressed.

“You’re overdressed Counselor” you breathed seductively. Watching his eyes roam over you with lust.

His eyes flicked to yours and he smirked as he lifted your thigh, kissing your soft white skin before responding.

“Not for this I’m not” his mouth moved back to your inner thigh and licked slowly upwards. Your head fell back to the mattress at the realisation he was about to go down on you. Something you frequently fantasized about him doing. 

“Yesssss” you whined as his mouth finally made contact with your center. Your hands moved to thread in his hair as he slowly moved his tongue against you. You shuddered involuntarily as his tongue grazed your clit, your reaction causing him to put all of his concentration on massaging your sensitive spot with a flat, wide tongue. 

He kept the delicious pace, and your grip on his hair tightened as you felt his fingertips tease your entrance, slowly moving down to massage your perineum. He took your moans of pleasure to continue his tease. 

It felt so, so good. You weren't going to last long.

“Oh my god, Rafael, fuck, yes” you panted. He loved the sound of your praise and he could tell you were getting close. He moved his other hand upwards to softly push the skin of your mound upwards, exposing your swollen clit fully to him. He pulled back briefly to blow cold air on your swollen nub before diving back in with his hot tongue.

The sensation of his mouth and tease of his fingers brought you quickly to the edge, and you shuddered hard during your orgasm, Barba’s mouth followed your hips as he licked you through your high. He waited for you to pull away from his mouth before moving off of you, pressing light kisses on your thigh and running his finger tips over your stomach while you came down.

“Oh my god. Holy shit”. You exclaimed as soon as your breathing let you speak again. It was easily one of the most intense orgasms of your life. And with skills like that you wondered why Barba was ever nervous to make a move on you, he’d clearly had practice.

“Fuck, Rafael. That was amazing. I’ll do whatever you want”.

He chucked lowly at the offer and pulled away from your body, standing to undress himself. 

“I want you to stay exactly where you are”. He spoke softly, eyeing you hungrily as he stepped out of his pants and removed his shirt. He retrieved a condom from his wallet and pulled down his briefs, exposing his very large, erect cock. 

You couldn’t help but moan at the sight of him rolling the condom onto himself, you opened your legs to him and he looked down at your pussy, still swollen and pink from his mouth minutes earlier. 

He eyed you hungrily as he crawled back on top of you, hooking one of your legs over his hip as he leaned in to kiss you. You felt the tip of his cock press against your entrance as he continued to kiss you, moaning slightly as you pressed your hips towards him, allowing the head to press into you slightly. 

“I want you”. You groaned, hooking your leg around his back to press him into you further.

He buried his face into your neck as he slowly thrust in and out of you, burying himself a little deeper with each thrust, allowing you to get used to his size. He couldn’t hold back the grunts as he bottomed out in you, moving to face you before thrusting into you steadily.

He was the biggest you’d experienced, and the feeling of the stretch of him and smell of Barba’s cologne left you wanting every inch of him more and more.

You hooked your other leg around his waist and met his thrust with a snap of your hips, causing you both to moan in pleasure.

“You feel so good Rafael. Fuck me” you pleaded. Barba obliged, deepening his thrusts further and quickening his pace. You moaned again, raking your nails down his back in delight. You could feel yourself getting close again, you rarely came twice in one night but you could tell Barba’s talent was going to bring you over the edge for a second time.

“Don’t stop, I’m going to come”. You moaned into Barba’s shoulder, your admission turning him on even more. 

He was desperate to watch you come apart underneath him. He felt your muscles begin to tense and he moved up to watch you come undone. The noises you made as you came and the feeling of you pulsing around him brought him over the edge. He grunted his release, pulling out and collapsing next to you when he was spent. 

You caught your breath for a minute before turning to Barba, placing a hand on his chest which was still rising and falling rapidly. 

“Fuck, Rafael. Why did we wait so long to do that?”

Barba let out only a laugh as agreement with your question, pulling away to excuse himself to the bathroom. He returned shortly after and crawled back into bed, pulling one of your arms over him into a hug.

You hummed happily at the feeling of him next to you. “You’re staying the night, yeah?” you trailed your hand up and down his torso, enjoying the feel of his chest hair under your fingers.

“Yeah, that would be nice.” he pulled a sheet over the two of you and turned to you slightly, you fell asleep to the feel of his breath on your shoulder.

………………………………………………………….

You were startled awake by the sound of a phone vibrating on your bedside table. You reached for your phone and looked at the screen, confused that it wasn’t ringing. 

Then you remembered you had a guest, a very naked, asleep A.D.A stirred next to you and opened his eyes slowly. He quickly figured out his whereabouts and located his phone. Grunting at the caller ID before answering.

“Yeah?” he answered, voice still groggy with sleep.

You turned and watched his face take in the details of the call. “Okay, give me an hour and a half”. He hung up abruptly and fell half dramatically back into your bed, sighing heavily before turning to acknowledge you.

“Morning” he breathed out, smiling at the sight of you next to him. “Looks like we’re working today”. The messed hair, tired face and hairy chest was a way you’d never seen Barba before, and you could swear it was the sexiest version of him you’d ever seen.

You faked a pout and turned onto your stomach, pushing up onto your elbows so that you were looking down at him.

“What have I got on my plate today Councilor?” you asked with half-interest. You were more interested at the sight under you.

“Body in the lake. You’ll get a phone call any minute now”. You groaned at the thought of dealing with a water-logged body. With the unpleasant day ahead, you thought you’d earned yourself an enjoyable morning.

“Well” you mused, climbing to straddle the man underneath you. “I don’t hear my phone ringing yet”.

Barba’s eyes widened, his eyes moving up and down your naked form hungrily. “Well my phone did ring, unfortunately I can’t sleep in with you”. His hands moved from your knees upwards to your hips. 

“I wasn’t suggesting we sleep in” you countered, moving down to kiss him lazily before pulling back, pulling the sheet away so he could see your naked form fully. “But if you give me 15 minutes of your time, I think we can have a pleasant start to the work day”.

Barba shifted his hips upwards ever so slightly in agreement, and you immediately leaned across to your bedside table to retrieve a condom from your top drawer. A Saturday morning quickie was exactly what you wanted at this minute, and you couldn’t get him inside you fast enough.

You pressed the foil package to Barba’s chest and leaned down to kiss him, grinding your center over his hardening cock. You were already getting wet at the thought of riding the A.D.A, and the fact you were both undressed and grinding on each other meant he could feel you getting wetter and wetter for him.

You pulled yourself up so Barba could unwrap the condom, lifting hips so he could roll the condom onto his now hard cock.

You lined him up with your entrance and lowered yourself onto him slowly, taking more and more of him in as you moved up and down on him. 

“Fuuuck" Barba growled as you started to bounce on him. “I think about this. I think about you doing this. All the time” He panted. His admission made him want you more, you quickened your pace, watching him watch you. The grunts of approval from underneath you making you forget the burning in your thighs as you rode him.

You leaned forward and gripped the headboard as you got closer and closer to reaching climax. Barba snapped his hips up to meet yours, keeping momentum as you started to lose control of your rhythm.

“Fuck. I’m close” you panted, your movements going from a bounce to a more grinding action. “Yes. come on. Come for me” Barba commanded, the sound of his voice sending you over the edge. He let you grind out your orgasm on him before he flipped you onto your back, thrusting a few times before coming himself.

You felt deliciously sore as he pulled away from you. Knowing he had to get to work, you rolled out of bed and put on a robe.

“I’ll make you a coffee while you get dressed” you called over your shoulder, voice upbeat from the morning sex. Barba shouted a thanks from bedroom as you busied yourself in the kitchen.

He emerged moments later, dressed in his outfit from the night before. You handed him his coffee with a smile.

“Time for the walk of shame Counselor?” you both smiled at the question.

“No such thing for a man my age.” he retorted, leaning in and kissing you slowly on the lips again before moving towards the door. Patting the pockets of his jeans to ensure he had his phone and wallet on him. 

You followed behind him and opened the door, stopping him before he could exit. “How about you come over this week, and we repeat last night and this morning?” Barba raised his eyes in thought for a second before answering with another soft kiss on your mouth. “Sounds perfect”. He spoke against you, walking out the door while sipping from the travel mug you handed him earlier. 

As the door closed, you heard your phone begin to ring from the bedroom. As Barba promised, you were getting called in to work as well.


End file.
